Letter: Ask TDA to support homes for workers

Graphic by Lori Deaton

Mountain Xpress readers are undoubtedly familiar with the fact that Buncombe County suffers from a severe housing shortage, with record-low vacancy rates driving astronomic increases in both rents and home prices.

What readers may not know is that we can all take actionable steps to increase housing options for working people and their families.

In cities across the country, a portion of the money that local governments collect from hotels and vacation rentals is used to subsidize the construction of new, income-restricted, multifamily homes. Seattle, for example, allocates more than a third of its occupancy tax revenues for such housing.

Here, spending from our occupancy tax revenues is governed by the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority. And the state legislature has a substantial measure of control over how the BCTDA operates.

But a new rule has presented the BCTDA with a choice on how to spend a specific portion of the money that the county sends its way each year.

That specific portion is called the “LIFT fund.” And a coalition of local grassroots organizations — including Buncombe Decides, Asheville Food & Beverage United, Asheville DSA and Asheville for All — is asking the TDA to spend it on housing, just as other cities and counties do. Readers may find a petition [avl.mx/chp] supporting this ask linked on the websites of Asheville for All and Buncombe Decides.

There is no one silver bullet for solving our housing shortage. To raise just one example, we also need to push our cities to adopt aggressive “missing middle” zoning reforms, to not only add to the housing stock but also to make our communities less segregated and more walkable, with less sprawl and car dependence. (Asheville is scheduled to take up this very matter next year.)

But we can directly help our county’s workers, the people who drive our tourism economy — and thus drive contributions to the TDA’s coffers — by asking the TDA to give some money back to build housing for such workers.

— Andrew Paul
Asheville

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Letters
We want to hear from you! Send your letters and commentary to letters@mountainx.com

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

One thought on “Letter: Ask TDA to support homes for workers

  1. MV

    Yes, as long as teachers, law enforcement, nurses, caregivers and other essential humans are given priority–not for *more* tourism workers or those working remotely. Also, there should be tax credits given to Airbnb people who will rent their properties long-term to the aforementioned workers. Maybe TDA could help initiate and fund that as well.

Leave a Reply to MV ×

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.